‘Sick of hearing people s***ting on him’: Aussie’s passionate plea for $197m teammate

Phoenix Suns centre Jock Landale has thrown his support behind under-fire teammate Deandre Ayton after the former No. 1 pick was benched during the final moments of Saturday’s playoff contest against the Denver Nuggets.

Ayton watched from the bench as the Suns secured a crucial 121-114 victory over the Nuggets in Phoenix, with coach Monty Williams playing Landale down the final stretch.

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The 24-year-old fumed from the sidelines, refusing to talk to reporters after the seven-point triumph. He finished the contest with four points on 2-of-6 shooting, with nine rebounds, one block and four personal fouls in 26 minutes.

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Michael Porter Jr. of the Denver Nuggets drives against Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns. Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

“It’s hard for me to sit back and be OK with all the slander that’s thrown at DA,” the Australian said.

“People are making him out to be a selfish individual who is playing terribly all the time and hurts the Phoenix Suns, but it’s Deandre Ayton. DA has had 30-20 games on the regular for a month at a time for us this season. DA has held down some big-time areas of games for us this year and I am kind of sick of hearing people s***ting on him nonstop. I know it comes with the business and that is your guy’s job, but it’s other people’s right to say what they want to say. D.A. has been f***ing great for us.

“He is allowed to have a bad night, we are basketball players and playing against a two-time MVP right now, it’s tough.

“There is a little bit of growing pain, but at the same time, he does so many great things for us. He is a great guy on the bench, a great locker room guy, there are so many positives that people seem to just leave out and ignore. They just want to harp on the negatives. I know part of that is to push him to be better, but man, sometimes the guy just needs to be left alone.”

Last year, the Suns matched the four-year, $197 million offer restricted free agent sheet Ayton signed with the Indiana Pacers, keeping him in Phoenix.

The Nuggets lead the semi-final playoff series 2-1. Game four gets underway at Phoenix’s Footprint Center on Monday morning AEST at 10am.

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